SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 30, 2014
Falcons 29, Cardinals 18: Matt Ryan passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns as host Atlanta handed Arizona its second straight loss.
Julio Jones had 10 receptions for a career-best 189 yards and one touchdown while Harry Douglas recorded season highs of nine catches and 116 yards for the Falcons (5-7). Matt Bryant kicked a career-high five field goals and Steven Jackson rushed for 101 yards as Atlanta remained in a first-place tie with New Orleans in the NFC South.
Drew Stanton passed for 294 yards and one touchdown while being intercepted twice for the Cardinals, who were without standout receiver Larry Fitzgerald (knee) for the second consecutive contest and had their NFC West lead over Seattle trimmed to one game. Arizona (9-3) failed to score an offensive touchdown in 11 consecutive quarters until Stanton completed a 3-yard TD pass to Stepfan Taylor with 1:05 remaining in the contest.
Atlanta controlled the ball for more than 37 minutes and had a 500-329 advantage in total offense as the Cardinals have struggled offensively since losing quarterback Carson Palmer to a season-ending knee injury. Bryant’s 45-yard field goal with 12:35 remaining gave the Falcons a 26-10 cushion and Stanton tossed his fifth interception in three games when Falcons cornerback Josh Wilson came up with the pick with 7:17 left before Bryant added a 28-yard field goal with 2 1/2 minutes to play.
Ryan connected on a 1-yard TD pass to Levine Toilolo to cap Atlanta’s opening drive and hit Jones from 32 yards out later in the quarter for a 17-0 advantage. The Cardinals scored the next 10 points, beginning with Rashad Johnson’s 88-yard interception return for a touchdown, while Bryant kicked a short field goal to make it 20-10 at the half and added another in the third to increase the lead to 13 points.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona RB Andre Ellington (hip) and S Tyrann Mathieu (thumb) departed with injuries. … Falcons WR Roddy White (ankle) sat out. … The Cardinals’ streak of 21 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher ended in the final minutes as Jackson recorded his first since joining Atlanta.